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I’m the lucky Technical Editor who had the pleasure of
working on the very cool book, kraft•tex Style.

My friend, Del, heard me mention some of the projects in the
book, and about how kraft•tex was so easy and versatile to work with. Now, one
project in the book is the Treasure Map.

Del took the Treasure Map idea and ran to the beach with it.
Her daughter was getting married in Malibu. Del and her daughter designed
wedding favors that included a thank you note, written on kraft•tex, with a map
of where the couple wed on the back, and then placed each map in a small bottle.
Then, when the couple held a second reception for Northern California family
and friends, they made more favors, this time with a map of the locations of
the wedding and the reception.

Here are Del’s tips on how to make small treasure maps to
fit inside bottles that are about 6˝ tall.

Rough cut pieces of kraft•tex to size, about 3
1/2˝ x 5˝

Draw map (If you are making several, it’s easier
if you make a stencil and then trace around it.)

Ink the edges using black ink pad

Burn the edges using a candle flame, and to
darken a few areas in the middle. (It doesn’t take much exposure to the flame
to get it to darken.)

Place singed pieces in a bowl of water to halt
the burning and prepare them for the next step. It’s OK to leave the pieces in
the water while you finish burning the remaining ones.

Crumple the maps while wet, then lightly smooth
them out

To add more age spots, first brew strong tea.
Use the tea bag to dab the tea onto the map.

Let map dry

Roll the map up tightly and tie with string. Slip
it inside the bottle, leaving enough string to hang outside the bottle before
inserting the cork.

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